Dear Monsieur Platini,
RE: Matthieu Flamini, Gennaro Gattuso & Stephane Lannoy
I write to you today to gauge some perspective on what UEFA are trying to achieve in the 21st century.
No doubt you have seen for yourself the, frankly, outrageous events that marred the Champions league encounter between AC Milan and, my club, Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday evening.
I, of course, should justifiably be revelling in the amazing achievements of my teams maiden foray in to the zenith of European club football – The Champions League, but, poignantly, im not.
Sadly, im sat here scratching my head attempting to make some sense of the fact that Matthieu Flamini has, in my opinion, been allowed to escape major punishment for committing an act so great in its aggressiveness that if it were executed on a street corner rather than on a football pitch it could well have resulted in a custodial sentence. Recklessness and intent of the kind shown by Flamini, who was merely booked, in his two-footed challenge on Vedran Corluka has no place in football, not to mention society, and goes against every grain and sinew of what UEFA expresses to the outside world that they stand for.
By refusing to supplement the caution Flamini received from Stephane Lannoy, UEFA are committing a crime of much greater significance with the potential of providing longer standing implications and negative legacies than anything any player, or referee for that matter, could ever wish to achieve.
To state that you cannot look in to this any further because it would undermine the referee, who has already dealt with the incident is, at best, abhorrent in its disregard for any football fan’s intelligence. Flamini could quite easily have broken Corluka’s leg but that isn’t the issue here. Of course not, the main issue here, it seems, is to avoid highlighting a referee’s failings publicly and, thus, avert causing him to be a touch embarrassed and introspective of his own performance. By refusing to bring a referee, who is regarding as one of the very best in Europe, to task, when such a clear mistake is made, is simply wrong. Anyone who is involved in the game has an effect on the game and its outcome and that includes referees. The fact remains that Tottenham lost an important player during the match because of a mindless, thoughtless tackle and the player that inflicted that injury on him was left free, due to bad officiating, to resume playing in the game.
I don’t, however, believe for one moment that Mr Lannoy, who actually made some impressive decisions on Tuesday night, would have any objection to UEFA acting ‘after the event’ in charging Flamini for this offence
Monsieur Platini, I realise the world has gone mad with political correction and you are, of course, housed only a short drive away from Geneva, the worldwide centre for diplomacy, but this is too much. Something has to be done here.
A player cannot and should not be allowed to commit such an act, not to mention the disgusting self congratulation that followed and, essentially, get away with it.
What is that teaching him about his behaviour and what is that teaching the millions of young players who watched the game about the way they need to behave on a pitch, whatever level they ply their trade at?
Its teaching them to take the risk because they might just get away with it, its teaching them to win at all costs by being as aggressive as they need to even if they terminate someone’s footballing career in the process and, ultimately, its teaching them to have NO respect which, if im not mistaken, flies in the face of a certain campaign launched by yourselves in 2008, The UEFA Respect Campaign.
It would appear, Monsieur Platini, that UEFA, and FIFA alike, like to launch these campaigns surrounded by huge public fanfare but when it comes to enforcing one of their more fundamental directives, you and your organisation are not interested.
I know I speak for many when I tell you that some of your decision making lacks integrity and, very much like the English FA at times, can be extremely frustrating and illogical.
I really don’t see what is so problematic about retrospectively enforcing the rules of the game when it comes to incidents such as these. After all, they are the rules of the game and Flamini did commit Gross Violent Conduct.
We are not talking about an Eduardo simulation charge which can be ludicrously overturned on appeal.
As for Gattuso, I congratulate you and your organisation for taking a stand against this behaviour. To pick a fight during and after a game with someone nearly twice your age in Joe Jordan, Tottenham’s Assistant Coach, is just beyond reason. I understand you have charged him with Gross Unsporting Conduct but surely grabbing someone round their throat and then head butting them is a little more brutal than unsporting. I hope you also take in to account the petulant reaction to his own yellow card during the game and his violent intimidation of the opposition players throughout the 90 minutes.
A spectacle of that nature is not what my family or I wish to observe.
Thankfully, football won the day eventually and the team concentrating on playing for the whole game was victorious.
RE: Matthieu Flamini, Gennaro Gattuso & Stephane Lannoy
I write to you today to gauge some perspective on what UEFA are trying to achieve in the 21st century.
No doubt you have seen for yourself the, frankly, outrageous events that marred the Champions league encounter between AC Milan and, my club, Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday evening.
I, of course, should justifiably be revelling in the amazing achievements of my teams maiden foray in to the zenith of European club football – The Champions League, but, poignantly, im not.
Sadly, im sat here scratching my head attempting to make some sense of the fact that Matthieu Flamini has, in my opinion, been allowed to escape major punishment for committing an act so great in its aggressiveness that if it were executed on a street corner rather than on a football pitch it could well have resulted in a custodial sentence. Recklessness and intent of the kind shown by Flamini, who was merely booked, in his two-footed challenge on Vedran Corluka has no place in football, not to mention society, and goes against every grain and sinew of what UEFA expresses to the outside world that they stand for.
By refusing to supplement the caution Flamini received from Stephane Lannoy, UEFA are committing a crime of much greater significance with the potential of providing longer standing implications and negative legacies than anything any player, or referee for that matter, could ever wish to achieve.
To state that you cannot look in to this any further because it would undermine the referee, who has already dealt with the incident is, at best, abhorrent in its disregard for any football fan’s intelligence. Flamini could quite easily have broken Corluka’s leg but that isn’t the issue here. Of course not, the main issue here, it seems, is to avoid highlighting a referee’s failings publicly and, thus, avert causing him to be a touch embarrassed and introspective of his own performance. By refusing to bring a referee, who is regarding as one of the very best in Europe, to task, when such a clear mistake is made, is simply wrong. Anyone who is involved in the game has an effect on the game and its outcome and that includes referees. The fact remains that Tottenham lost an important player during the match because of a mindless, thoughtless tackle and the player that inflicted that injury on him was left free, due to bad officiating, to resume playing in the game.
I don’t, however, believe for one moment that Mr Lannoy, who actually made some impressive decisions on Tuesday night, would have any objection to UEFA acting ‘after the event’ in charging Flamini for this offence
Monsieur Platini, I realise the world has gone mad with political correction and you are, of course, housed only a short drive away from Geneva, the worldwide centre for diplomacy, but this is too much. Something has to be done here.
A player cannot and should not be allowed to commit such an act, not to mention the disgusting self congratulation that followed and, essentially, get away with it.
What is that teaching him about his behaviour and what is that teaching the millions of young players who watched the game about the way they need to behave on a pitch, whatever level they ply their trade at?
Its teaching them to take the risk because they might just get away with it, its teaching them to win at all costs by being as aggressive as they need to even if they terminate someone’s footballing career in the process and, ultimately, its teaching them to have NO respect which, if im not mistaken, flies in the face of a certain campaign launched by yourselves in 2008, The UEFA Respect Campaign.
It would appear, Monsieur Platini, that UEFA, and FIFA alike, like to launch these campaigns surrounded by huge public fanfare but when it comes to enforcing one of their more fundamental directives, you and your organisation are not interested.
I know I speak for many when I tell you that some of your decision making lacks integrity and, very much like the English FA at times, can be extremely frustrating and illogical.
I really don’t see what is so problematic about retrospectively enforcing the rules of the game when it comes to incidents such as these. After all, they are the rules of the game and Flamini did commit Gross Violent Conduct.
We are not talking about an Eduardo simulation charge which can be ludicrously overturned on appeal.
As for Gattuso, I congratulate you and your organisation for taking a stand against this behaviour. To pick a fight during and after a game with someone nearly twice your age in Joe Jordan, Tottenham’s Assistant Coach, is just beyond reason. I understand you have charged him with Gross Unsporting Conduct but surely grabbing someone round their throat and then head butting them is a little more brutal than unsporting. I hope you also take in to account the petulant reaction to his own yellow card during the game and his violent intimidation of the opposition players throughout the 90 minutes.
A spectacle of that nature is not what my family or I wish to observe.
Thankfully, football won the day eventually and the team concentrating on playing for the whole game was victorious.
